Adjustable coat hanger



Allg 25, 1953 G. D. McvlcKER ADJUSTABLE COAT vl-AIGER INVENTOR Y Gra/mm 0. Mal/'cker Filed June 22, 1951 H|S ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 25, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

My invention relates in general to garment hangers, and more particularly concerns an adjustable and collapsible coat hanger well adapted for travel and generally kindred purposes.

An object of my invention 'is to provide a coat hanger which is closely adjustable to a wide variety of garments, and this regardless of wide variance insizes thereof, which hanger is collapsible, telescopic, and readily dismantleable, and therefore is easily packed, so that it is well adapted for travel purposes, and which at the same time is assembled with like ease and facility and can be adjusted for all sizes of garments, and which, involving in its assembled condition no excessive space demands, can be readily hung in close yet adequate relation with any other such hangers.

Another object is to provide a hanger of the general type described which nevertheless, and comprised as it is of but a small number of parts, each simple, inexpensive and readily produced in themselves, and despite its collapsible, telescopic and inter-nesting features, is firm, stable, and rigid in assembly, with positive interlocking of the components parts; which is of smooth, unbroken and uninterrupted surface contour, suppressing danger of tearing or snagging garments hung thereon; and which, inter alla, is well adapted for receiving clothing of oli-size persons such as those who are extremely small or quite large, as the case may be; and as well, displays marked utility for luggage manufacturers producing bags either fully or partly equipped.

Other objects and advantages in part will be obvious and in part will be pointed out hereinafter during the course of the following description, taken in the light of the accompanying drawings.

My invention accordingly may be seen to reside in the arrangement `of parts, features of con struction, and combination of elements, the scope of the application of all of which is more fully set forth in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the several views of the drawings wherein I have disclosed that illustrative embodiment of my invention which I prefer at present:

Fig. 1 is 'a view disclosing in perspective, my new hanger in assembled position;

Fig. 2 discloses, in drop perspective, and on relduced scale, the several component elements making up my new hanger;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View on enlarged scale, ltaken on line 3--3 of Fig. 1, zand disclosing the mode of interlocking of the handle portion of Fig. 1;

three different sizes.

Fig. 4 is a view, partly in section and partly `in elevation, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1,

and disclosing the telescopic and nesting relation of the several component parts thereof; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional View of an alternate form of handle construction and interlocking arrangement.

Throughout the several views of the drawings like Vreference characters denote like constructional parts.

Before beginning a detailed description of the construction of my new coat hanger, it is helpful to remember that considerable diliiculty has been encountered in the art as it heretofore has existed, resulting in large measure from the fact that coat hangers ordinarily are made to t a single size. At the most, such coat hangers ordi narily t, with reasonable closeness, but two or It frequently happens that these sizes of hangers are by no means well conformed to the particular garment to be carried thereon. On the contrary, the particular sise employed frequently represents but a loose compromise. As the size of the particular garment 'departs from this average size, the conformation of the coat hanger to the garment becomes less and less. And this is especially true of the 01T sizes, whether these be exceptionally small garments, or those which are quite large. For the small kgarments the standard-size coat hanger tends to stretch it out of shape, while for the very large garment the hanger Yallows it to collapse and become baggy.

While'some attention has been directed to the production of adjustable coat hangers certain practical diiculties, of widely varied type, have .for one reason or another, effectively stiiied their widespread use. For travel purposes, and particularly for fitted luggage and the like, a collapsible garment hanger has delinite practical utility. But, various `constructional and func- :tional defects preclude the commercial exploita- "tion of the construction available in the art.

Animportant object of my invention, therefore, is vto avoid in substantial measure the several defects of the `prior constructions, and at the same time, to produce a simple, sturdy, highly efficient .and entirely reliable coat hanger, which is collapsible, telescopic and adjustable, which is firm, rigid and substantially built, and can be readily assembled and dismantled at will, and which is comprised of but a small number -cf component parts, each readily produced from low cost maf terials, and which possesses long useful life.

And, now, having reference more vsigiecilcally to that embodiment of my invention shown in the several views of the drawings, my new clothes hanger comprises two elongated, telescopic and collapsible arm members, adjustable relative to each other and indicated generally at It and II. As is fully disclosed in the drawings, these arm members display channel-like cross section throughout the greater portion of their extent and are each provided with a tapered, rounded, shallow and flaring end or shoulder portion IGA and IIA, respectively. In each arm member is provided a series of elongated slots ISB and HB, respectively, disposed along the longitudinal extent thereof on the top surface, beginning at that end of the arm portion remote from the shoulder portion, and which is adjacent to the nesting and telescopic portion of the other arm member.

The arm members may be formed of any suitable, conventional and readily available material, and illustratively may be formed of plastic, wood, light-weight metal such as aluminum alloy, and the like. To permit ready telescoping, the cooperating portions of the arm members IG and I I, of Channel-like section, are each formed with slightly different dimensions of the central yoke portions, and preferably with slightly different depth of the outer web portions. Thus, the outer dimension of the central yoke IEC of the arm member lI is very slightly smaller than the inner dimension of the central yoke IElC of the arm member I@ (see Fig. 4). Similarly, the depth of the outer web HD of the arm member HA is less than that of the web IllD of the arm member Ill, by the extent of the thickness of the material comprising the central yoke of the arm member Ill. With this construction and with these differences in dimensions, the surface contour of the component arm members of the assembled garment hanger will be substantially smooth, unbroken and continuous, and hence both pleasing in appearance and substantially free of danger of snagging the garment.

The arm members may be formed in any suitable manner, as by dies in the case of plastics, by pouring or die-casting in the case of metals, or by stamping sheet metal or by shaping and daring the ends of metal stock of channel section.

The elongated holes IBB, IIB may likewise be formed in any suitable and desirable manner, as

by casting, punching or similar well-known techf niques.

I have suggested that frequent dimculty is encountered in the use of prior-art coat hangers in that the hanger does not readily conform to the base of the shoulder of the particular garment with which it is used, this for the reason that while the regular hanger has but one fixed size, the garments with which it is to be used, of many and varied kinds, are of varied and assorted sizes and shapes. My present hanger, on the contrary, is readily adapted for any one of a wide range of sizes of garments for which it is to be used. This adjustment is accomplished by sliding the telescoping, intertting and nesting arm members Iii and II longitudinally relative to each other, until corresponding ones of the two series of holes IUB and IIB are in registry with each other in that particular position of the arm members I0, II which most closely conforms to the width of the shoulder of the garment to be hung thereon.

After adjustment has been effected the two members, in adjusted position, are interlocked in such manner as to insure firm, rigid and unitary relationship in use. For simplicity and ready use as well I provide a handle, indicated generally at I5, and which in the preferred embodiment is formed of a single length of metal wire stock having a spring-like temper. This length of metal wire stock is folded on itself at ISA. Beginning at the folded end IEA the wire is conveniently twisted on itself along a portion of its length, as at IEB, this twisted portion being bent into generally U-shape, as at 15C. The free ends 15D, I5D are spread apart so that their outer extremities are substantially removed from each other. The spring quality of the wire creates a restoring action when the legs l5D, I5D are removed from their rest position. While the handie preferably is fashioned of wire, as noted, it may be made of plastic if desired since I find that a plastic handle possesses suiiicient springiness for the purpose.

As shown. in Fig. 3, each aring leg 15D of the handle l5 is pointed outwardly near its free end as at ISE', these outwardly flaring end portions !5E in turn being bent in a reverse bend, to provide a terminal hook portion IliF. The hook terminals lF, IdF engage in cooperating and paired registering openings IlB, ISB and IEB, HB of the arm members it and Il, effectively locking them in an adjusted position. It will readily be seen, as best shown in Fig. 3, that the spring tension of the leg portions 15D, lED of the handle lli, occasioned from slight displacement out of their rest positions, will effectively bring about rm interlocking of the arm members it and I! until this relationship is intentionally disturbed.

As an alternate embodiment the handle may have its hook terminals bent outwardly as shown in Fig. 5 although the inwardly bent construction is preferred since it seems that with a garment on the hanger `the inwardly bent hook construction assures a tightening between handle and arms that makes for rigidity and security.

When the particular use for which the garment hanger has been adjusted is terminated, the latter can be readily dismantled by simply spreading the leg portions IED, IED of the handle I5 to a slight extent and removing them from the slots IB, IIB in which they are engaged. The arm members I0 and II can thereupon be telescoped, to make the whole shorter or the whole may be dismantled, as for storage, the dimensions of the arm II being somewhat less than those of the arm I!! not only for the channelled portions but for the end portions as well, so that the one may be fully received with the other in nested relation. My hanger, therefore, is readily adaptable for easy packing and for general travel purposes. Because of the ready manner in which it can be dismantled and nested to minimum size, and the equal ease and rapidity with which it can be assembled when desired, particular appeal and utility exists to manufacturers of luggage producing travel bags.

It will be seen that the ready adjustability of the hanger enables it to be closely adapted conformed to off-sizes or odd-size garments. Moreover, the straight-line contour of the insures that snagging and tearing are effectiv ly suppressed. And, in their assembled condition the hangers can be disposed closely adjacent to each other on a common support, particularly in the closet, wardrobe or other storage space.

Despite the inherent simplicity of the construction, my new hanger displays the important advantage that positive interlocking of the component parts in assembled condition is ensured,

due in large measure to the strong spring tension imparted by the legs IBD, D of the handle I5.

All of these, as well as many other highly important and practical advantages attend upon the practice of my invention.

It is of course apparent that many embodiments of my invention will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, once the present embodiment is disclosed, and all falling within the broad, general scope of my invention. Accordingly, I intend the foregoing disclosure to be considered solely by way of illustration, and not as a limitation.

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a coat hanger adjustable as to size, comprising two complementary, interfitting halves, of like configuration and each conforming generally to the shaping of the shoulder of a garment, and each having a series of complementary perforations in the top surface thereof; and a cooperating hookshaped handle for said two halves having two inwardly extending hook-shaped ends which engage in locking manner in the spaced matching perforations of the halves, to secure them in adjusted position.

2. As a new article of manufacture, an adjustable coat hanger comprising two complementary elongated, intertting and nesting halves, each of like configuration and each having large, rounded and flaring terminal portions conforming generally to the shape of a garment and each having a series of complementary perforations in and along the top surface thereof; and a cooperating hook-shaped handle for said two halves having spreading and spring-like portions terminating in inwardly extending hook-shaped end portions which engage in locking manner in the matching and paired perforations of the complementary halves, to lock them in adjusted position.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a coat hanger which is collapsible, telescopic and adjustable as to size, comprising two cooperating complementary, intertting and nesting halves, comprising arm members, each said arm members comprising an elongated and slightly curved member, generally U-shaped in cross section through the major portion of its length with substantially parallel sides, and having an enlarged, rounded, shallow, dish-like, terminal portion, having generally the conformation of the shoulder of a garment, said member having a series of perforations along its lengh in that portion thereof which comprises the central webbing when said member is viewed in sections; and a cooperating hook-shaped handle for said two halves, formed of metal wire and comprising the head thereof, said handle having flaring, spreading and springlike portions terminating in inwardly extending hook-shaped end portions, which engage in locking manner in the matching and paired perforations of the complementary halves, to lock the latter in adjusted position.

GRAHAM D. MCVICKER.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date '779,062 Beatty Jan. 3, 1905 1,331,419 Dahlgren Feb. 17, 1920 2,548,810 Ozlek Apr. 10, 1951 

